Where the hell have you been?
Yeah, just kidding. I am indeed the one who’s been away. I started this blogopedia on May 4, 2009 and did my last post (until now) nine years later! And that last post was more than seven years ago.
TOP: 2018, working with Angela Delfini in Italy
BOTTOM: 2025, with David Tabatsky & my wife Riley Kellogg in San Francisco (not working)
Yes, it's true, I haven't aged a bit in those seven years.
Yikes. What can I say? I’ve been busy, man, and it turns out you can’t do everything. I know, I tried, but I usually end up feeling like a juggler who throws more objects up into the air than they can possibly catch. Okay, maybe I can flash five or six projects, but keeping them going is another matter. So, yes, a long break from blogging (blogopedia-ing?) but meanwhile I’ve been teaching, I’ve been directing a few shows, I’ve been traveling, I’ve been writing an actual play, I've been grandfathering, but but but… most of my waking hours have gone into construction. Yes, construction. Some dedicated clown-carpenter friends and I have built Falling Coyote Studios, a clown/circus rehearsal space in Greenwood Lake, New York, less than an hour outside of New York City. It’s been quite an undertaking, and we did 90% of the work ourselves, which is why it's still not 100% done five years later. But a lot is already happening here, and I will devote a separate post to that, with the hope that you, and I do mean you, will someday visit. You will be very welcome.
But I am back at my desk because I have too many ideas and too much stuff that I like to share. And I call it a blogopedia, rather than just a blog, because it’s not just some sort of journal, not just a passing fancy, but an ever-growing archive of material about physical comedy from a wide range of perspectives. Here’s what you can expect:
• Short video clips of cool physical comedy, most of which most of you won’t already be familiar with. I must admit I also like these because they are the least work for me!
• Technical articles on specific skills with video examples and sometimes how-to info. •
Historical articles on past physical comedy heroes (many of them unsung) and on how our glorious tradition all came about and fits together, and what we owe to our predecessors. As Sir Isaac Newton said, we are all standing on the shoulders of giants. And of course he wasn’t the first to say it: the thought has been traced back at least to the year 1123!
• Analytical articles about the role of physical comedy (and by extension clown work) in an increasingly technological world where, seven years later, actual human accomplishment is increasingly eclipsed by AI slop and our too-taken-for-granted freedoms are severely threatened by the rise of authoritarian, neo-fascist governments who seem immune to ridicule.
At least that’s the plan. There are 442 posts preceding this one, and hopefully a whole bunch more (new! improved!) yet to come. Think of it as The Old Testament and The New Testament. (On second thought, don’t.) Use them all as you see fit: for the love of history, as a source for creating new material, or just for the fun of it. In fact, whatever you do, I hope you find it fun!
I welcome your comments and I also welcome guest posts that are thoughtful, original, and specifically on the subject of physical comedy --but are not mere self-promotion. I also hope that you will let others know about All Fall Down, because I don’t have the time or desire to hang out on social media and constantly be promoting the blog or myself. I’m counting on word-of-mouth, and betting you all have mouths. For which I thank you.
• Short video clips of cool physical comedy, most of which most of you won’t already be familiar with. I must admit I also like these because they are the least work for me!
• Technical articles on specific skills with video examples and sometimes how-to info. •
Historical articles on past physical comedy heroes (many of them unsung) and on how our glorious tradition all came about and fits together, and what we owe to our predecessors. As Sir Isaac Newton said, we are all standing on the shoulders of giants. And of course he wasn’t the first to say it: the thought has been traced back at least to the year 1123!
• Analytical articles about the role of physical comedy (and by extension clown work) in an increasingly technological world where, seven years later, actual human accomplishment is increasingly eclipsed by AI slop and our too-taken-for-granted freedoms are severely threatened by the rise of authoritarian, neo-fascist governments who seem immune to ridicule.
At least that’s the plan. There are 442 posts preceding this one, and hopefully a whole bunch more (new! improved!) yet to come. Think of it as The Old Testament and The New Testament. (On second thought, don’t.) Use them all as you see fit: for the love of history, as a source for creating new material, or just for the fun of it. In fact, whatever you do, I hope you find it fun!
I welcome your comments and I also welcome guest posts that are thoughtful, original, and specifically on the subject of physical comedy --but are not mere self-promotion. I also hope that you will let others know about All Fall Down, because I don’t have the time or desire to hang out on social media and constantly be promoting the blog or myself. I’m counting on word-of-mouth, and betting you all have mouths. For which I thank you.
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